The Cosmological “Figura” of Antonino Saliba

Salvatore Martinelli

Antonino Saliba’s extraordinary universal map, published in Naples in 1587, opens up pathways into the Neapolitan cultural area of this period in a variety of ways. The spaces of the map yield insights into areas ranging from natural philosophy through cosmography, sphere theory, and underworld spaces to meteorology. It is worth noting that up until the time of publication of the “figura”, as Saliba himself characterizes his work, no comparable thematic compositions existed. The captions are enriched with encyclopedic content, illustrating a close interrelationship between text and diagram while also compressing and bringing together traditions of knowledge and innovation in a small space. The concentric construction creates a ‘knowledge space’ that makes relationships visible and cognitive processes decipherable.
Within the framework of the project, attention is directed first at the interaction between cartography and diagrammatics since both media of expression create a field of tension between the individual and the combined elements of knowledge. The premise underpinning the inquiry is based on answering the elementary question about the meaning and functionality of epistemological representations using the example of Saliba’s figura. By illustrating epistemological connections in the form of text, images and diagrams, spaces of knowledge unfold, methods for generating different bodies of knowledge become perceptible, and processes and principles that characterize the acquisition of knowledge in its entirety are clarified.
The diagrammatic methodology provides the basis for a functional and discursive examination of the captions. Saliba’s remarkable artifact demonstrates that the cartography of this period not only stored knowledge but also made scientific achievements and social and cultural connections accessible. The intended analysis and contextualization of the figura, which refers to both the complex diagrammatic construction and complementary knowledge traditions, gives a profound insight into how, by coordinating the interaction of cartography and diagrams, such epistemic media function.